The Arsenic Labyrinth (26 page)

The Lake District is, fortunately, a real place, but this is a work of fiction. At the risk of stating the obvious, I should say that all the characters and incidents are invented, as are all the named organisations that play a part in the story except for the Cumbria Constabulary – my version of it is fictitious, while the real one may change its shape if the much-debated reorganisation of the police service ever comes to fruition. The agencies which Hannah consults about the crime scene investigation at the Arsenic Labyrinth are also imaginary. Any resemblance between people and events in the book and counterparts in real-life is coincidental and unintended. To underline this, I have also taken a few liberties with topography and local history. Arsenic was mined at Caldbeck, but not, so far as I have been able to discover, at Coniston, and there is no arsenic labyrinth in Cumbria. Nor is
there a museum like Alban Clough’s, a Ruskin Archive of the kind described, or a Cumbrian newspaper called the
Post
.

I am indebted to a large number of people who have been generous with both time and expertise as I have researched the background to this book. I should like to express particular thanks to John Prest, for offering insights into the work of a historian, Roger Forsdyke for advice on police procedure, Helen Pepper and Andy Barrett for sharing their crime scene know-how, Kathryn White of the Bagshaw Museum, Adam Sharpe, Cornwall County Council’s senior archaeologist, who guided me through the mysterious world of arsenic labyrinths, and Howard Hull, Director of the Brantwood Trust and the Ruskin Foundation for information about Ruskin and his relations with the people of Coniston. Amongst the many authors whose books I have consulted, I should like to express particular appreciation for the work of Eric G. Holland (an intrepid explorer of copper mines), Dinah Birch (an authority on Ruskin), Ian Pepper (husband of Helen and another authority on crime scene work), and the late Robin W. Winks, a historian and detective fiction fan, of whom Daniel Kind is a disciple. I have also consulted websites and newspaper articles too numerous to list, but this is a novel and ultimately the story must take precedence over the factual background. My colleagues in Murder Squad, my agent Mandy Little and my British and American publishers, Susie Dunlop and Barbara Peters, have offered me enthusiastic
support, as always and a final word of thanks go to my wife Helena, my daughter Catherine, and my son Jonathan, who has created a website to be found at
www.martinedwardsbooks.com.

M
ARTIN
E
DWARDS
was born in Cheshire. He read Law at Oxford and then trained as a solicitor. He is married with two children, and is currently a partner at Mace & Jones law firm, based in Liverpool and Manchester. The author of the acclaimed series of legal mysteries featuring Harry Devlin, he is also a critic and has edited various short story collections.

www.martinedwardsbooks.com

L
AKE
D
ISTRICT
M
YSTERIES

The Coffin Trail

The Cipher Garden

The Arsenic Labyrinth

The Serpent Pool

The Hanging Wood

H
ARRY
D
EVLIN
N
OVELS

Waterloo Sunset